New documents indicate that paying Call Of Duty players could gain easier lobbies with payments.
Activision recently filed for a patent that suggests multiplayer lobbies might become easier for the player who’s purchased multiple microtransactions.
Call Of Duty has long been synonymous with competition. Every day, thousands of players gather online for Call Of Duty matches and compete to raise their kill/death ratio, improve ranks, upgrade weapons and purchase cosmetic skins and items to further their game play experience.
Casual players of COD lobbies often find them frightening and daunting – not just due to rising levels of toxic play – yet have you ever noticed you keep getting outshone by your opponents? Well, your lack of microtransactions might be to blame…
Twitter user @strahfe recently shared an Activision patent suggesting purchasing cosmetic items could increase your odds of playing against less experienced opponents in games. According to this patent: The microtransaction engine may match an experienced/marquee player with junior player to encourage purchases by them for items owned/used by marquee player.”
So essentially, someone could be knocking you out with their Crash Bandicoot mask but then become inspired to buy one themselves after seeing one while playing videogame.
Online games typically utilize a skill-based matchmaking system which takes various factors into consideration when assigning players to lobby spots. Your rank is one factor; performance in-game also counts. For instance, if you finish one game with 30 or more kills and your performance drops significantly the following game will place you with players with similar kill totals; should this cause your performance levels to decline further it could put you into lower-tiered lobby. It isn’t perfect but does get the job done most of the time.
However, having a system tied to cosmetics and microtransaction purchases you made is far from ideal. In essence it works like pay-to-play; therefore the more regularly you buy new skins and accessories from Activision the easier multiplayer will become for you – something many players have criticised them for in recent times as becoming “greedier.”
Activision has not confirmed or disproved whether its patent accurately represents how multiplayer lobbies actually function; nevertheless, many players have voiced their thoughts regarding it.
“Company Greed at its Finest.
“Since Beta of MW2, and later with the launch of MW19 with its SBMM system, COD no longer qualifies as an authentic FPS experience – its entire SBMM system makes this clear.”
“now is an ideal opportunity to give up this franchise and embarrass all those who purchase Mtx from Actision,”
Activision are currently embroiled in controversy as it desperately attempts to close its deal with Xbox. Due to resistance in the UK market, both parties are considering all available solutions in order to see this transaction take place; even if that means pulling certain Activision titles off UK shelves.
